Three firefighters were killed and four others were injured while battling a wildfire in Washington state on Wednesday, one of dozens raging throughout the drought-parched West.

The firefighters, whose names weren’t immediately released, died battling a 1,500-acre fire near Twisp, Wash., a town of about 900 people in the north-central part of the state, authorities said. Evacuation orders are now in effect for the sparsely populated area.

“The firefighters were engaged in initial attack operations and were involved in a vehicle accident when it is believed that the fire overtook the vehicle,” said the statement from Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, relaying information from Okanogan County Sheriff
Frank Rogers,
the Associated Press reported.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the four injured were also involved in the accident, the AP said, adding that a U.S. Forest Service statement identified the dead as Forest Service firefighters.

“They gave their lives to protect others,” Washington Gov.
Jay Inslee
in a statement Wednesday evening. “It was their calling, but the loss for their families is immense, and I know the community will come together to support them.”

Mr. Inslee, a Democrat, requested a federal emergency declaration Wednesday evening to help cover the costs of fighting wildfires in the state.

Fires in Washington have already consumed more than 235,000 acres, destroyed more than 50 homes and 60 other structures, according to the governor.

The state is one of several experiencing devastating fires this summer, as a drought turns much of the West into a tinderbox. As of Wednesday, 72 large active fires were burning across the Western states, including 18 in Washington, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Smoke from an approaching wildfire looms over a home near Twisp, Wash., on Wednesday.
Photo:
Ted S. Warren/Associated Press